Marketing Services to Museum Members

Strategy: Balance Your Budget, Serve Local Community

Type of attraction: Museum/Historic Site

Summary: The Mariner’s Museum in Newport News, Virginia began offering digital restoration services to its members in 2008. Their photo specialists will digitally restore and print old family photos for a fee and even offer free consultations.

The Mariner’s Museum in Newport News, Virginia began offering digital restoration services to its members in 2008. Their photo specialists will digitally restore and print old family photos for a fee and even offer free consultations. Since part of the mission is to preserve, this type of service extends that mission beyond the confines of the museum’s current collection. Says Claudia Jew, director of photographic services, licensing & publication, “…we understand the importance of preserving one’s history for future generations.”

Indeed, the Mariner’s saw the need in the community and recognized that they could address that need. “Many of our members don’t have access to the equipment or software that is needed to do a really great job and a “professional” outside the museum setting can charge anywhere from $150 upward per hour to scan and digitally restore a photograph. I thought this would be a serendipity and added benefit to our members,” says Jew. In addition to this service, the museum also offers custom prints made from images in the museum’s collection.

Courtesy of the Virginia Association of Museums, from VAM Voice newsmagazine, Winter 2009. Contact communications director Heather Widener at hwidener@vamuseums.org for more information.